[spadix]

Originally Posted by mobike008

It's so different from the regular dishes in Hyd which is made with red chilly powder.

Then you should have some home-made Roselle (Gongura) chutney - the green chilli variant. I'm wolfing down a jar of this my mother brought in from Hyderabad on her week-long visit here.

Quite a few other preparations are made with green chilli only.

Regards,
spadix

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by spadix

Then you should have some home-made Roselle (Gongura) chutney - the green chilli variant. I'm wolfing down a jar of this my mother brought in from Hyderabad on her week-long visit here

Iam the biggest fan of pickles in this world, you name it. Gongura, Red Chilly, Tomato, Mango ( except the North Indian mixed pickle which i hate). There was a time, I could not eat a single meal without pickles and Shenga Chutney ( This one still continues)

But, due to heavy salt in them, I have almost given up eating my favorite pickles as i dont want to risk getting high BP

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Now iam confused if it was coriander or curry leaves. ...

Simple fundas:
1. Punjabis never use curry leaves in anything except their version of sambhar (as in Dosa-sambhar, replete with cauliflower, carrots, turnips, pumpkins and other seasonal veggies no self-respecting south Indian will ever put)
2. Even in South India, curry leaves are used only to add flavor - and never form the gravy bulk. The leaves themselves are discarded while eating, as they are difficult to chew and digest. The only dish that I have seen curry leaves incorporated in bulk is a Chatni Pudi where fried and powdered curry leaves are part of the ingredients
3. Green leaves used as gravy bulk in north Indian dishes are coriander or Saag like palak, cholai, bathua, methi, sarson etc.

Originally Posted by mobike008

So can I drive down to bangalore this weekend ...

Arrey boss, of course you are welcome! Slight correction: I am a non-Bong Bong, a non-Punju Punju, a non-Kannadiga Kannadiga, and a lot of other 'non-X X' rolled into one.

Originally Posted by spadix

... Quite a few other preparations are made with green chilli only. ...

I think he meant NV dishes made with GC and other green stuff. The only known one, and I am not the expert here, is Gongura Mamsam IIRC - I just *love* this one. All the others are based on red chillies.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Iam the biggest fan of pickles in this world, you name it. Gongura,

What I meant was that you should try the green chilli variant of Gongura. Restaurants don't make this because GC Gongura has very poor shelf life (even after refrigeration). So they only have RC Gongura. The GC variety is typically only available at homes. The taste is to die for.

Regards,
spadix

[bblost]

I had a lovely dinner at https://www.facebook.com/ziticomfortfood

We ordered
A Mac and Cheese for my daughter. Rs 140. She enjoyed it and the kiddie cutlery was just perfect for her little hands.
Cajun Spicy Chicken Skewers. Rs 270. The chicken was just perfect and thankfully low on salt. I think others may find it less(salt) but for my wife and me it was perfect. Even my daughter grabbed a skewer and enjoyed it. The chicken was easy for her to bite into.
Spring Veg Crepes: Rs 270. My wife loved this.
Tenderloin Steak (Beef): Rs 425. Because my wife said she will like to taste it, I had to order it as a Medium Rare with more emphasis on medium. They promised me Medium Rare but I think I got Medium. But no complaints. The beef was tasty and the pepper sauce was quite good. It was served with mashed potatoes and some herbs.
Mineral Water was Rs 45.

Cheese Cake was at Rs 160. It was good but considering how good the rest of the food was, it felt like a let down.

5% SC added up to Rs 65.
Total 1375.

There was no VAT or ST added in the bill.
The place does not yet accept credit cards.

I would definitely go back to this place.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Last evening, got take away at home for some friends who dropped by from Bagara which is erstwhile Naigara at Hyderguda

Bagara (formerly Niagara) has improved a lot. As you rightly mentioned things have improved. The take away quantity and quality is very good for the price. The ambiance of the restaurant has also improved a lot. (The last time I had been there was when it was known as Niagara and there were rats running around the floor!) Had left the place without even looking at the menu card!!

Went there last week for lunch. Ordered one Butter Chicken (175.00) and two Laccha Parathas (30.00 each). Rumali Roti was not available during the afternoon. The taste was good.

A friend told me a couple of days back that there was a 10% discount on take away during Ramzan.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

Bagara (formerly Niagara) has improved a lot. As you rightly mentioned things have improved. The take away quantity and quality is very good for the price. The ambiance of the restaurant has also improved a lot. (The last time I had been there was when it was known as Niagara and there were rats running around the floor!) Had left the place without even looking at the menu card!

I was one of the regular customer of Naigara at Hyderguda and Chaderghat in early 2000 as that was the place where you could get awesome food at dead cheap prices. However, never visited either of these restuarants during daylight.

we used to be a group of 5-6 guys and go there always either at 2:00am or 3:00am as these restuarants used to be open till then and we normally used to enter and exit from their kitchen

Naigara Hyderabad used to serve one of the best ginger chicken and biryani those days. Over the period they lost the plot and eventually shut down. But, the chaderghat one is still alright if you dont mind food a bit oily.

[Rajesh Rawal]

The Blue Door-Mediterranean Cuisine

Wife and i decided to visit this place for some greek food,

Unfortunately i don’t remember the names of the dish (greek) but let me describe:-StartersPrawn dish in some dry curry served with pita bread (this was with a mock tail-apple juice with litchi and vanilla ice cream)

Main courseChicken breast with fillings Mutton Seekh kebab with flavored riceEverything was nice (looked and tasted lovely)

The chef was one funny bone ,used to come to you every 10 mins to check everything was ok and crack some real funny one liners Loved the decor too

On an average each dish is in range of 450-550 (main course) 250-400 being for the starters Do ask the chef to make it more spicy to suit the indian taste

Lastly i would reckon please read the dish description in the menu before you order (noticed the adjacent table folks throwing a fit around when their order arrived)

[Farukh]

Lazeez Multicuisine Restaurant, Hotel Royal Reve, SD Road Sec-bad.

After reading rave reviews in Zomato, we visited this place with many expectations. The buffet was priced ar Rs.375+taxes. At this price I doubted the count of dishes in the spread. The moment we entered the restaurant, the pungent smell of room freshner put us off. We were immediately seated. Surprisingly only 3 tables were occupied at around 8 pm on a Sunday. We were 2 non-veg and 2 veggie people. The table cloth was dirty and we asked them to replace it.

Limited spread. A mocktail was served on the table. Only a few dishes were good. Chicken appetiser was good, had a smoky/charred flavor. Surprisingly their biryani had too many mutton pieces, I am not complaining , the taste was good too. Apart from this, the sandard buffet - 1 salad, pizza, chicken pasta, chaat, noodles, chinese bhel, 2 NV curries, 2 veg curries, plain rice, dal sambar, tomato rice, naan, butter naan and gajar ka halwa, a sweet and ice creams.

Structly average place. Will I go there again? No. We should have just skipped this and visited Pickles a few hundred meters ahead.

Bill break up/person - Rs.375+54.3(VAT)+18.5 (Ser.tax)= Rs.448

Food - 3/5
Ambience - 2/5
Service - 3/5
VFM - 2/5

[traveloholic]

A Blink and I would have missed it. A little quaint place, neatly tucked between the numerous shops. Coastal Spices sometimes can be hard to find, given the constant flow of traffic. I would call Coastal Spices a sort of Mecca of South Indian Coastal Cuisine on this side of the town.

My Gastronomical Adventures never took me on a journey to the southern part of India. There could be many reasons for the same; one of the basic reasons was the gastronomical differences we had. The only times, I’ve relished South Indian Food was Sambar-Rice or Rasam-Rice or Naatu Kodi Biryani. All this was bound to change soon and never expected Coastal Spice to be the reason for it. All my Gastronomical Adventures these days are decided mostly by the Office Schedules and the Deliverables at Office. All the recommendations and suggestions are mostly decided around Gachibowli Area. Coastal Spice was never on my Radar till I got to hear about it from the person, I least expected it from. Been contemplating a lot from the past few weeks to pay Coastal Spices a visit and the day was soon to come.

Coastal Spices: Location
Coastal Spice is located on the first floor of Kannayalal Complex. It’s a Blink & You Miss the place, so keep your eyes glued on the left as soon as you cross ManPasand on the left. The “Blink & You Miss” is due to the numerous shops lined on the road. One of the best advantages of Coastal Spices is the availability of Valet Parking Facility. As the entire stretch is a No Parking Zone, it would be always advisable to hand over the Car for Valet Parking.

Coastal Spices: Ambience
Coastal Spices is a neat place, with an upmarket feel. The wooden interior makes it feel cozy inside with pictures of Fishes and Fishermen neatly lined up around the place to give it a Coastal feel. The Aquarium with beautiful fishes does add to the feel of the restaurant. Even though, fishes are cliché to Coasts, these do play their role well. Wish the tables were a bit more spaced out; especially the Tables bang near the entrance, beside the Aquarium. The tables have very minimal gap between them.



Coastal Spices: Gastronomical Adventure
Coastal Spices serves Coastal/Mangalorean/Goan/Maharashtrian Cusine and would never leave you asking for more. Prawns, Crabs, Chicken, Mutton, Fish…. You would be lost for choices at Coastal Spices and each dish would surprise you and leave you urging for more and more.

Never ever have I been to a particular restaurant for two days in quick succession. Coastal Spices was the only place, which has won hands down and made me weak in the knees. I could not say NO, when I was asked, if I was willing to join the next day for lunch at Coastal Spices. This in itself is a proof to say, how lip smacking and tempting the food was. Let the Gastronomical Story slowly unfold.

Jhinga Tikka
Succulent Prawns, marinated in the aromatic spices and cooked in the Clay Oven. One of the best Prawns I’ve ever had off late. The Smokey distinct aroma of the Tandoor was evident as soon as the Appetizers were out of the kitchen, headed to the right direction, the place, where I was seated. The mere sight of these Prawns made me jump with the same joy of a 6 year old kid, who gets restless after seeing the hidden packet of candies daddy has.



Prawns were just perfectly cooked, leaving them juicy. The Spices were just the right amount to give those sleeping taste buds a kick-in-the-butt. The Aromatic Prawns with Tangy Mint Chutney were made for each other and before I could realize, I was asking for another helping of the Mint Chutney.



Appetizers done, I was not sure about what lay ahead. Never ever heard of Prawns Ghee Roast or Ghee Roast in particular, hence was a way bit apprehensive or rather excited to see what lay ahead of me for the Gastronomical Adventure I have treaded on to.



Prawns Ghee Roast with Neer Dosa and Appams
Never ever knew the fact of “Ghee Roast being one of the most popular delicacies of Mangalore”. Visiting Coastal Spices was a sort of eye opener for me to the other culinary world. Prawns in any form would be edible and that’s my true love for Prawns. Prawns Fried / Blanched / Steamed / Sautéed / Stir Fried, serve me Prawns in any form and I would go head over heels for sure. I can proudly say; Prawns Ghee Roast was one of those dishes that made me lick my fingers.



Prawns Ghee Roast with Neer Dosa was heavenly. The lip smacking Ghee Roast Gravy with Piping Hot and Soft Neer Dosa and Appam’s were simply amazing. Heard the Original Recipe of Ghee Roast would make you sweat like crazy, leave you with a runny nose and watery eyes. This was not the case with the Ghee Roast served at Coastal Spices. The entire Gyaan was captured during the discussions with the people around. Each and every helping of Prawns Ghee Roast was lapped up with Neer Dosa and Appam. Even before we could realize, we were left with No Prawns Ghee Roast to go.



This was the indication that we were ready for more and the more was a blessing in disguise. My Love for Sea Food has taken me to a number of places. Barbeque Nation, one of my favorite restaurants for their Prawns Starters and Crab in the main course. I set my sight on the next dish in offing, Crab Ghee Roast. I did ensure to tell him to make it a tad bit spicier than the earlier Prawns Ghee Roast.

Crab Ghee Roast with Tandoori Roti
Crab Ghee Roast and Prawns Ghee Roast share the same base dish of Ghee Roast. What surprised me the most were the Crabs served in the dish, they were well cooked, super succulent and a bit soft shelled and delectable to the core. It took us no more than 3.21312 seconds to get down to the dirty business of devouring the Crab Ghee Roast. If I was asked to choose the better of the two, Crab Ghee Roast wins over Prawns Ghee Roast, hands down. The Tandoori Roti’s were a mere formality; the star dish was devoured as is. I would keep going back for Crab Ghee Roast for the days to come.







Naatu Kodi Biryani
Being an ardent fan of country chicken, I could not let go off this opportunity to taste the Naatu Kodi Biryani. Would have loved the Naatu Kodi Biryani being a bit spicier than how it was.

My Parameters of judging a Biryani are simple: When I have a Biryani, I should not have the urge of mixing the accompaniments like Mirchi ka Saalan or Dahi ki Chutney with the Biryani. Very few places serve Biryani of this sort, Prince Hotel at Mehdipatnam, Hotel Alpha at Secunderabad, Hotel Sham at Moosrambagh, Hotel Sohail Waves at Malakpet are some of the places, and I would love having biryani again and again. These are the places, where I do not have to add the accompaniments to either enhance or mask the flavors. Coastal Spices was one of those places, I would add to the list of “Love Having Biryani at Places”.

Coming back to the Naatu Kodi part of the dish, compared to Broiler Chicken, Naatu Kodi Chicken has a unique and strong flavor. The meat does differ between the Farm Range Country Chicken and Fed on Chemicals Broiler Chicken.



The juicy rice with the well-cooked county chicken pieces were devoured before I could realize, I was done with the Pulao served. If you are wondering, why I call this a Pulao, the method of cooking this dish tends to make it a Pulao as opposed to being a Biryani. Naatu Kodi Pulao would be most apt term for this dish and there is no second thought about it. I would be back for more of Naatu Kodi Pulao at Coastal Spices.

A Special Thanks by the person, who was waiting us:
Enchanted by the enthusiasm and zeal with which, I was enjoying the food and also clicking pictures of the same, the person waiting us at Coastal Spices made a special offer, a “Thanks for visiting us” offer. We were treated with a special complimentary Ice Cream, all courtesy Coastal Spices Management. Thanks for Kind Gesture. I generally am not a Desert’s person, especially during Lunch. This was an exception as the desert was showered with loads of love from everyone, who all were a part of our Gastronomical Adventure at Coastal Spices. Thanks a lot for the kind gesture again.



All Said and Done, Coastal Spices is a place, I would keep going back again and again, as it had loads to offer.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

A Blink and I would have missed it. A little quaint place, neatly tucked between the numerous shops. Coastal Spices sometimes can be hard to find, given the constant flow of traffic. I would call Coastal Spices a sort of Mecca of South Indian Coastal Cuisine on this side of the town.

Hahaha

That was a great review and now I want to eat at this place ASAP. But I did not get the location at all. Can you post the location of Coastal Spice / Kannayalal building with proper references please?

[Pheonix]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

A Blink and I would have missed it.

Coastal Spices: Location
Coastal Spice is located on the first floor of Kannayalal Complex.

Was away from the forums from quite sometime one some hectic office work but thanks to you mate .... i am feeling a good comeback

Good review and mouth watering pics .... can you give me more details on where exactly is the Kannayalal Complex? I can give it a shot this weekend maybe !!

I am sure Avi must have already been to this place so lets hear more from his too !!!

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by NoRules

Hahaha

That was a great review and now I want to eat at this place ASAP. But I did not get the location at all. Can you post the location of Coastal Spice / Kannayalal building with proper references please?

Costal Spice comes between Nandini Cafe and Udupi Upahar in Gachibowli. All 3 restaurants are Karnataka style , specifically Coastal spice is Mangalore style, which is fully different from Goan(sweetish Masala) and Maharastra style. Its around 50 meters before Gachibowli flyover if you come from Gachibowli stadium side. If you come from Flyover, just take u-turn near Bawarchi and come back.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

I would call Coastal Spices a sort of Mecca of South Indian Coastal Cuisine on this side of the town.

Good review NikkiD but, you glaringly omitted an important aspect. Price of each dish

I prefer reviews which quote prices or atleast range of price of dishes to tag them into a certain category of restuarants.

Looks like I will be going there for lunch this sunday.....

Originally Posted by Pheonix

I am sure Avi must have already been to this place so lets hear more from his too !!!

Pheonix, I sometimes miss eating at some restuarants and i hope you agree with me it's perfectly normal

No, I havent been to this place though its on my "to-go" list. Hopefully this weekend.

Anyone been to Mama Mia (OTF Competition in Sainikpuri)? Is it good? Do they have seating place?

One dinner this week is dedicated to Mama Mia......

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

All Said and Done, Coastal Spices is a place, I would keep going back again and again, as it had loads to offer.

Excellent Review sir.The pics are mind blowing.I will visit this place for sure in my next visit.

Waseem.